1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communications systems or networks and, more specifically, to a route aggregation method and system which may be used, for example, in conjunction with MIPI/UniPRO and Discobus networks.
2. Description of the Related Art
A communication system may simply be considered a facility which enables communication between two or more entities such as a communications device or user equipment (UE) and/or other nodes associated with the system. The communication may include, for example, communication of voice, data, multimedia, etc. Furthermore, communication systems may support wireless and wire lined communications between wireless and/or wire lined communication devices. Examples of these communication systems include cellular telephone systems, the Internet, and point-to-point in-home wireless networks. Each type of communication system is constructed, and hence operates, in accordance with one or more communication standards.
Communication systems may be circuit switched or packet switched. Examples of circuit switched networks include the telephone network and wavelength routing optical network. Examples of packet switched networks include Internet Protocol (IP), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), frame relay, and Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS).
Two distinct techniques may be used in packet switched communications systems for transferring data, the connection-oriented method and the connectionless method. The connection-oriented method requires a session connection be established before any data can be sent. The connection-oriented method is referred to as a “reliable” network service, because it can guarantee that data will arrive in the same order. Connection-oriented services set up virtual links between end systems through a network. ATM, frame relay, and MPLS are examples of connection-oriented networks.
The connectionless method does not require a session connection between sender and receiver. The sender simply starts sending packets to the destination. Connectionless communication does not have the reliability of the connection-oriented method, but it is useful for periodic burst transfers. IP is an example of a connectionless network.
As mentioned above, connection-oriented networks require that a virtual circuit or connection be established prior to the transfer of data. Therefore, a connection must first be established between the network nodes, the data is then transferred and the connection is disconnected thereafter. Two types of connections are possible: virtual channel connections (VCC) and virtual path connections (VPC). A virtual connection identifier (VCI), which is a header subfield, may be used in setting up the virtual connections. In connection-oriented networks, each connection is characterized by a VCI which is assigned at call set up.